Christmas: The Love of God Incarnate!

 [This week, the fouth Sunday of Advent, we will have an abbreviated message celebrating the love of God revealed in the incarnation, SN].

Christmas: The Love of God Incarnate!

I John 4:9-11

Introduction:  This month we’ve taken a look at Christmas from the perspective of the themes of Advent: Hope, Peace, Joy, and now this week we’ll consider, “The Love of God… Incarnate!” “I love Christmas,” many will say, “especially when the boss gives a nice bonus... Oh, and the parties and presents are nice too!” That is not what we have in mind as we celebrate Advent. Love for our families is certainly something we should cherish, but even that is not the most fundamental connection between love and Christmas. It is not even primarily about our love for God, but rather God’s revelation of His love for us in sending his Son for us.  The song says, “Love was when, God became a man.” Many Scriptures point to “The Advent of Love.” Matthew and Luke give us the most detail about the circumstances of the birth of Jesus. John’s Gospel starts in eternity past but really emphasizes the revelation of God’s love in the incarnation. “In the beginning was the Word … and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us…” John later tells us why, “For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son...”  In John’s first epistle over 40 times in five chapters he uses the word “love” (the noun agape, and the verb agapao). 4:9 is a favorite of mine as it is a verse that we memorized as a family doing our devotional readings together for several years: “This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him” (I John 4:9, NIV).

The Big Idea: This is how God showed us His love: He sent His Son into the world that we might live through Him! He is the Gift of Christmas.

I. God has revealed His love to us: “In this the love of God was made manifest among us…” (v.9). The omnipotent Creator of the Universe, the One who is all powerful, all knowing, so Holy that He is of purer eyes than to look upon iniquity, is a loving God. Immediately before our passage, in I John 4:7,8, we read “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.  ⁸ He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.” Not only is love, in its purest sense, an intrinsic aspect of the nature of God, v.9 tells that God “…made manifest…” or revealed His love. He has chosen to reveal that love to humans.

       Christmas means God involved himself in human history – counter the view of “deism” that pictures the universe as a giant machine that God set in motion, but in which He does not involve himself.  The truth is that God has spoken, and He has involved Himself in our story. This passage speaks to why He did it. I John 4:9 is telling us that Christmas manifests the love of God. 

      Twice John says “God is love” (4:8,16). What does that mean? What does that look like? It looks like a manger in Bethlehem, a baby wrapped in rags, no room, no comforts, even later in life “nowhere to lay his head.”  Ultimately, it looks like a cross on a hill, nail pierced hands: “In this the love of God was made manifest among us…” He could have sent a letter (He did!), He could have come for a visit and taught us the truth (He did!), but he went much further, He did the unimaginable. He gave His only Son… *Big Idea: This is how God showed us His love: He sent His Son into the world that we might live through Him!

II. God revealed his love to humans by sending His Son into the world - this sin cursed world… for us: “…that God has sent His only Son into the world…”

       This is what showed [manifested, revealed, showed forth] God’s love. Consider Abraham and Isaac in Gen 22… When Abraham was ready to do the unimaginable, in obedience to God, that the word came: “Now I know you fear God…” His action demonstrated his heart. Actions speak louder than words. Husbands, love you wives. Its more than just “saying” “I love you” right? Do you give her time, are you willing to listen, do you desire her good even before your own? Read v.9 and 10 together. This is why sending the Son shows us God’s love, sent Him into this world, to be the propitiation for our sins… God sent His Son into this fallen world, knowing the cost, but He chose to love us, and to make a way for sinners to be reconciled to God.

       God visited us. Isaiah wrote, “You shall call his name Emmanuel,” which means, “God with us.” The song says, “Out of Ivory Palaces, into this world of woe…” Another, “Veiled in flesh the Godhead see, hail, incarnate Deity!”

       God the Son left heaven and came into this fallen world to give us life! This is the profound truth expressed in the most famous verse of scripture, John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son...”

      That is the story of Christmas, “the Word was made flesh and lived for awhile among us…” His life, and His death, revealed God’s love and accomplished salvation for all who would believe. *Christmas is how God showed us His love: He sent His Son into the world that we might live...

III. God revealed His love to humans by sending His Son into this sin cursed world to die so that we could have life  (9c-10). “…so that we might live through him.  ¹⁰ In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”   God loved us so much, that he sent His Son to die for us so that we could live—He came “…that we might live through Him…” He is talking about eternal life, the abundant life of blessing and purpose for which we were created. Most importantly, He is talking about life in relationship with our Creator, the God who IS.

       In John 10:10-11 Jesus said, "…I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.  I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.”

       There too He is talking about more than his desire that we have biological life, that our heart keeps beating and our brain waves functioning normally. He is talking about more than the idea that we’ll live a long time, or even forever. He is referring to a quality of life that goes beyond our few short years in this world. He is talking about the abundant life of blessing, life with meaning in fellowship with our Creator and redeemer. He is talking about the life that we were created to enjoy. Jesus came, and demonstrated God’s love, by laying down his life so that we could have that kind of life.

          “Propitiation” is related to the word translated “mercy seat” in the Old Testament and in Hebrews 9:5, “Above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat...” [hilasterion]. The word translated atonement here in I John 4:10 occurs only one other time in the New Testament, also in 1 John, 2:2. In the LXX, such as in Ezekiel 44:27, it is used to describe the “sin offering.” John is saying that God showed His love by sending His Son to be the one and only sin offering for us, the perfect sacrifice which all others anticipated.  

       Paul said in Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” The Big Idea in our passage: This is how God showed us His love: He sent His Son into the world that we might live through Him! He is the Gift of Christmas.

IV. “Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another” (v.11). “Love is the only fire hot enough to melt the iron obstinacy of a creature’s will” (A. MacLaren). As we celebrate Christmas, and the love of God incarnate, will you allow His Spirit, to melt your heart with the truth of His amazing grace? Behold what manner of love the Father has given unto us, that we should be called the children of God—and such we are (I John 3:1)! 

        During Advent perhaps we can ask if we can do even more than simply try to tell others about God. Is there also a way to allow the Holy Spirit to use  us to show them Jesus? Can our life be so different that others might see something in us that would stir their interest and point them to Him? As we pray will we be so bold as to ask Him for divine appointments, opportunities to cultivate relationships with nonbelievers and allow God to use us to hold forth the Word of Life, and also to show Jesus by the life we live before them and the relationship we allow the Holy Spirit to cultivate between us. As He uses us, may we show people His love.

What is God saying to me in this passage? The Big Idea: Christmas – This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His Son into the world that we might live through Him!

What would God have me to do in response to this passage?

       1) Have you made a conscious effort to keep the love of God showed in the incarnation at the forefront of your Christmas celebration? It’s not all about our traditions, it’s all about Jesus. God showed us His love by sending His Son. He reached out, and got involved in our story by bringing us into His story, even though it cost Him so much. We love, because He first loved us.

       2) The context of our passage is talking about our love for one another (4:7,11b). It’s not just a feeling in our hearts. It means having the mind of Christ, being willing to “look out not only for our own personal interests, but also for the interest of others.” John says, “if God so loved us, we should love one another” (I Jn 4:10-11). That love, love that shows itself in action. Jesus said “By this men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

       Whatever you do, constrained by the love of Christ, do in His name, looking for every opportunity to point them to Jesus – the reason for the season! AMEN.